CVE-2022-22970: VMware Spring Framework DoS Vulnerability

CVE-2022-22970 Overview

CVE-2022-22970 is a Denial of Service (DoS) vulnerability in VMware Spring Framework that affects applications handling file uploads. The vulnerability exists in the data binding mechanism when applications bind a MultipartFile or javax.servlet.Part to a field in a model object. This weakness, classified as CWE-770 (Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling), allows attackers to exhaust system resources and disrupt service availability.

Critical Impact

Applications using Spring Framework's file upload functionality with data binding may be vulnerable to resource exhaustion attacks, potentially causing service disruption for legitimate users.

Affected Products

• VMware Spring Framework versions prior to 5.3.20
• VMware Spring Framework versions prior to 5.2.22
• Oracle Financial Services Crime and Compliance Management Studio (versions 8.0.8.2.0 and 8.0.8.3.0)
• NetApp Active IQ Unified Manager (Linux, VMware vSphere, Windows)
• NetApp Brocade SAN Navigator
• NetApp Cloud Secure Agent
• NetApp OnCommand Insight

Discovery Timeline

• May 12, 2022 - CVE-2022-22970 published to NVD
• November 21, 2024 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2022-22970

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability arises from improper resource allocation controls within Spring Framework's data binding mechanism for file uploads. When an application uses Spring's data binding to set a MultipartFile or javax.servlet.Part to a field in a model object, the framework fails to enforce adequate resource limits. This architectural weakness enables attackers to craft malicious requests that consume excessive server resources without proper throttling.

The vulnerability requires network access and low-privilege authentication to exploit, though the attack complexity is considered high due to specific conditions that must be met. The primary impact is on availability, with no direct effect on confidentiality or integrity. Applications that do not use data binding for file upload fields are not affected by this vulnerability.

Root Cause

The root cause stems from CWE-770: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling. Spring Framework's file upload handling through data binding does not implement sufficient safeguards to prevent resource exhaustion. When processing MultipartFile or javax.servlet.Part objects bound to model fields, the framework allocates resources without enforcing appropriate limits, allowing an attacker to consume available system resources through repeated or specially crafted upload requests.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based, requiring an authenticated attacker with low privileges. The attacker must identify an application endpoint that handles file uploads using Spring's data binding mechanism to bind multipart data to model objects. By sending malicious upload requests designed to consume excessive resources, the attacker can degrade or deny service to legitimate users.

The attack targets applications that specifically rely on data binding to populate MultipartFile or javax.servlet.Part fields in model objects. Applications that process file uploads through other mechanisms or that implement their own resource controls may be less susceptible.

Detection Methods for CVE-2022-22970

Indicators of Compromise

• Abnormally high volume of multipart file upload requests to specific endpoints
• Increased memory consumption or resource exhaustion on application servers
• Multiple failed or slow upload requests from single IP addresses or user sessions
• Application logs showing repeated data binding operations for file upload fields

Detection Strategies

• Monitor application endpoints handling file uploads for unusual traffic patterns
• Implement rate limiting on file upload endpoints to detect and block abuse
• Review Spring Framework version in use across all applications via dependency scanning
• Analyze application logs for repeated multipart request processing failures

Monitoring Recommendations

• Configure alerts for unusual spikes in multipart file upload requests
• Monitor JVM memory utilization and garbage collection behavior on Spring applications
• Track response times for file upload endpoints to detect degradation
• Enable detailed logging for Spring MVC data binding operations during incident investigation

How to Mitigate CVE-2022-22970

Immediate Actions Required

• Upgrade Spring Framework to version 5.3.20 or later for the 5.3.x branch
• Upgrade Spring Framework to version 5.2.22 or later for the 5.2.x branch
• Conduct inventory of all applications using Spring Framework to identify affected deployments
• Apply vendor-specific patches for Oracle and NetApp products as referenced in their security advisories

Patch Information

VMware has released patched versions of Spring Framework that address this vulnerability. Organizations should upgrade to Spring Framework 5.3.20+ or 5.2.22+ depending on their version branch. Additional vendor advisories with patch information are available from VMware Security Advisory, Oracle July 2022 CPU, and NetApp Security Advisory.

Workarounds

• Implement application-level rate limiting on file upload endpoints
• Avoid using data binding for MultipartFile or javax.servlet.Part fields; instead, access multipart data directly through MultipartHttpServletRequest
• Configure web server or load balancer request size limits to constrain upload payloads
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with rules to detect and block DoS attempts on upload endpoints

# Example: Configure upload limits in application.properties
spring.servlet.multipart.max-file-size=10MB
spring.servlet.multipart.max-request-size=25MB

# Example: Maven dependency update to patched version
# Update pom.xml to use Spring Framework 5.3.20+
# <spring.version>5.3.20</spring.version>